Getting pregnant in your 20s

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Time is on your side if you're trying to get pregnant in your 20s. Your body is primed for pregnancy, and probably still will be when you're planning baby number two.

What are my chances of getting pregnant in my 20s?

Your chance of conceiving in a cycle in your 20s is about 45 per cent (based on the average annual rate of pregnancy per cycle) (NCCWCH 2013:65). Most women in their 20s conceive within a year with regular sex (NCCWCH 2013:65). Provided you are in good health, your chances of conceiving within two years are about 98 per cent in your early 20s, falling slightly to about 95 per cent by your late 20s (NCCWCH 2013:65).

You're very unlikely to experience unexplained infertility in your 20s. Unexplained infertility is when your doctor can't find a reason for why you're not conceiving. But for women over 35, unexplained infertility is the most common cause of infertility. This has a lot to do with the decline in the quality of your eggs as you age (Bewley et al 2009, RCOG 2011).

What are the pros and cons of getting pregnant in my 20s?

Pros

From a strictly biological point of view, your 20s are the best years for conceiving and carrying a baby. Your fertility will probably peak when you're in your mid-20s (NCCWCH 2013:65, Khatamee and Rosenthal 2002).

You were born with all the eggs you will ever have, about a million. At puberty, you'll have had about 300,000 eggs left. Although you have all these eggs, only about 400 will be released from your ovaries during the years that you have periods (Rosenblatt 2007).

As you get older, your ovaries and eggs age along with the rest of your body. For that reason, while you're younger your eggs are less likely to have structural problems (chromosomal abnormalities). Chromosomal abnormalities can result in conditions such as Down's syndrome (ONS 2010a).

About one in every 1,500 babies born to a mum aged 20 to 24 will have Down's syndrome. Compare this with about one in 700 babies born to mums aged 35 to 39(ONS 2010a).

In your 20s, you're less likely to experience miscarriage. Sadly, early miscarriage is quite common. The good news is, the younger you are, the lower is your risk. The risk of miscarriage increases as you get older, and is:

about one in 10 at the age of 20

one in five at the age of 30

about one in two at the age of 40

about three in four from 45 onwards (Nybo Anderson et al 2000, RCOG 2008, 2011)

In your 20s, you're less likely to have other health conditions, such as fibroids and endometriosis. Both these conditions can become more of a problem over time (CKS 2009a, 2009b).

You may find being pregnant easier in your 20s. Your age means you're likely to enjoy a trouble-free, healthy pregnancy. You're less likely than women over 35 (Franz and Husslein 2010, Joseph et al 2005, Montan 2007) to have:

Once your baby arrives, as a 20-something mum, you're likely to have more energy. You may be able to wake to feed your baby a couple of times a night, and still be able to function well the next day.

You'll also have plenty of company of your own age as you chase your little one around the play area. The average age for a UK woman to have her first baby is 27 (ONS 2010b, Utting and Bewley 2011).

Cons

When you're in your 20s, you may still be working out a career path. If you step off this road to have a baby, it can be hard to get back on track.

Even if you go straight back to work after having children, you're likely to earn less than women who don't become mums. That prospect can be a strong incentive for some women to delay pregnancy.

While having a child in your 20s may be biologically the best time, it may not be so for your family finances. You may not have had time to pay off student debts, for example.

Having a child can also be tough on your relationship if you're younger. It's easy to feel like the early stages of a baby's life go on forever. This especially may be the case if your baby is a poor sleeper or cries a lot. An older couple, more experienced in life, may find it easier to keep these problems in perspective.

In your 20s, as well as exploring your career, you may be enjoying lots of nights out, or carefree holidays. You may find you are simply unprepared for the sacrifices parenthood requires.

There are also some differences in the ways younger parents and older parents discipline their children, and deal with disruptive behaviour.

Younger parents tend to be more laid-back about bad behaviour than older parents (Hansen and Joshi 2008). This doesn't mean that the children of young parents are badly behaved. It’s just that some behaviour problems may be more common for younger families.

What can I do to get pregnant now?

There are steps you can take to give yourself the best chance for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Read our tips to help you prepare for pregnancy.

If you don't get pregnant right away, try to relax and keep trying. Time is very much on your side while you're in your 20s.

If you have not become pregnant within a year of having unprotected sex, two or three times a week, see your doctor (NCCWCH 2013:6).

Some medical problems can make it harder to conceive. See your doctor sooner rather than later if you're trying for a baby and you have or have had:

Leridon H, Slama R. 2008. The impact of a decline in fecundity and of pregnancy postponement on final number of children and demand for assisted reproduction technology. Hum Reprod 23(6):13 humrep.oxfordjournals.org [pdf file, accessed November 2010]

ONS. 2010a. Congenital anomaly statistics: notifications. A statistical review of notifications of congenital anomalies received as part of the England and Wales National Congenital Anomaly System, 2008. www.statistics.gov.uk (pdf file, accessed November 2010]

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Comments

Hello, My name is Amanda and I have been trying to conceive for about 4 years now and still nothing. I am so scared I can't. I've a pap smear done and everything came back normal so I don't understand why I'm having such trouble. I do have irregular periods but that's it so I don't understand why that makes It so hard to get pregnant. I am in desperate need of help, and it would be greatly appreciated if someone could help me! PLEASE! & Thank you.

so advice:
I have a twenty year old friend who is pregnant. her boyfriend doesn't make as much money as she and already has a kid by someone else. my friend works at a wallmart(the pay is like what, 8.15 or 8.50 a hour? ) isn't even out of her mother's house yet the mom is cool with this. how do I support a friend whose decision I'm not okay with? I'm 21 and don't have any kids. I feel you shouldn't have any if you aren't at least out of your parents home.

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Meet other mums!
In your Birth Club, you can meet other mums and mums-to-be whose due date, or baby's birth date, is the same as yours. It's the perfect place to share advice, support and friendship with others who know what you're going through, because they are too!